Flood Reduction Plan
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i Flood Reduction Plan A 20 Year Strategic Plan to Increase the Hydrologic Function & Resiliency of the Turkey River Watershed Developed for the TRWMA by Northeast Iowa RC&D Inc. with funding provided by HUD/CDBG 2 Table OF CONTENTS Section ONE: Goals, Vision Statement & Objectives 1.A Goals 2 5.C Increase Rainwater Infiltration 55 1.B Vision statement 2 5.D Reduce Rainwater Runoff & Flash Flows 59 1.C Objectives 2 5.E Restore & Protect Stream Ecosystems 61 5.F Protect Properties Near Streams & Rivers 64 Section TWO: Watershed Characteristics & Demographics 5.G Implement SMART Planning Practices 65 2.A History of flooding & nutrient transport 4 5.H Education & Outreach 69 2.B Land ownership, use & major features 7 5.I Implement Policy 73 2.C Soils 15 5.J Document Results 74 2.D Climate & hydrology 20 2.E Geology of the watershed 21 Section SIX: Turkey River Watershed Budget 2.F Demographics 26 Objective 1: Food Mitigation Professionals 80 2.G Storm water runoff & smart planning 27 Objective 2: Implement Conservation Practices 80 2.H Existing public & private outreach organizations 31 Objective 3: Reduce Rainwater Runoff & Flash Flows 80 Objective 4: Restore & Protect Stream Ecosystems 81 Section THREE: Community Based Planning Objective 5: Protect Properties Near Streams & Rivers 81 3.A Local leadership Turkey River Watershed Management Authority 36 Objective 6: Implement SMART Planning Practices 81 3.B Public engagement 39 Objective 7: Education & Outreach 81 3.C Survey of residents 45 Total Plan Cost 82 Section FOUR: Watershed Research, Analysis & Monitoring Reference APPENDICES 4.A Rapid watershed assessment 48 Appendix 1 Additional Maps & Figures 4.B GIS analysis 49 Appendix 2 NRCS Rapid Watershed Assessment 4.C IIHR/Iowa flood center hydrologic analysis & modeling 49 Appendix 3 Hydrologic Assessment of the Turkey River Watershed Appendix 4 Introduction to Big Springs Section FIVE: Proposed Strategies Appendix 5 Outreach, Partnership & Engagement Plan 5.A Summary of Strategies 52 Appendix 6 TRW Survey of Residents 5.B Technical Assistance 53 Appendix 7 County Flood Management Structure Policy ii iii Definitions AND ACRONYMS Turkey River CDBG: Community Development Block Grant Program IDALS: Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship Northeast Iowa RC&D: Northeast Iowa Resource Conser- CDI: Conservation Districts of Iowa IEDA: Iowa Economic Development Authority vation and Development CRP: Conservation Reserve Program IFC/IIHR: Iowa Flood Center NRCS RWA: Rapid Watershed Assessment DC: District Conservationist Iowa DNR: Iowa Department of Natural Resources SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely EPA: Environmental Protection Agency IRVM: Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management SWCD: Soil and Water Conservation District EWP: Emergency Watershed Protection ISA: Iowa Soybean Association TRWMA: Turkey River Watershed Management Authority EWRP: Emergency Wetland Reserve Program MLRA: Major Land Resource Area TRW: Turkey River Watershed FEMA: Federal Emergency Management Agency NASS: National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA: United States Department of Agriculture GIS: Geographic Information System NRCS: Natural Resource Conservation Service USGS: United States Geological Survey HUC: Hydrologic Unit Code PFI: Practical Farmers of Iowa WRP: Wetlands Reserve Program IACAN: Iowa Conservation Action Network PF: Pheasants Forever 2 Partners AND RECOGNITION Partner 1: Turkey River Watershed Management Authority (TRWMA) Member Cities, Counties, and SWCDs. TRWMA members each appointed one representative who served on the 35 member Turkey River WMA Board of Directors, meeting quarterly as a full Board and more frequently in committees to review information, develop recommendations, and finalize plan components. Partner 2: Turkey River Watershed Management Authority Committees. Dozens of public and private partners served on TRWMA committees considering research, best management practices, economics, social factors and discussing local lessons learned. This plan is a direct reflection of their input and recommendations and would not have been possible without them. A full description of the committees is included in the Local Leadership section of this plan. The committees included; Executive, Techical, Community, Commissioners, County Infrastructure, Producer Groups, Education, Emergency Management, Fisheries, and RCPP. Partner 3: Iowa Economic Development Authority. Administered HUD CDBG funding for the Turkey River WMA to develop this plan, including funding to contract professional facilitators, researchers and planners to help with development of this plan. They also administered HUD CDBG funding for the Iowa Flood Center and IIHR to model and test their models in the Turkey River Watershed and Otter Creek Watershed. Partner 4: Clayton County. Clayton County Board of Supervisors served as the applicant for the IEDA funds. They and the Clayton County Auditor provided fiscal leadership and accounting for the IEDA and other grants on behalf of the TRWMA. Partner 5: Iowa Flood Center. Provided state-of-the-art, in-depth analysis, research, and modeling that helped all the partners better understand the TRW and how specific actions could reduce flooding. They also provided equipment and monitoring throughout the TRW, and funding for specific projects in Otter Creek Watershed including five rain gauge/soil moisture probes, two stream gauging stations, and 3 real time nitrate monitors in Otter Creek Watershed. They have two additional nitrate monitors in the Turkey River and are partners in the placement and use of over 23 rain gauge/soil moisture probes throughout the TRW. They presented information to the TRWMA Board and committees regularly and maintain access to real-time, rainfall, soil moisture, river stage, and other monitoring online. They partnered with other TRW partners to secure funding for increased analysis, outreach, and monitoring. They expanded their assistance to work more in depth with specific TRW committees including the County Infrastructure Committee, Technical Committee, and Emergency Management Committee. They have partnered with the TRWMA and TRWMA partners to submit federal grants and secure funding for future work in the TRW. Partner 6: Northeast Iowa RC&D. Northeast Iowa RC&D helped the TRWMA form and secured planning, research project, and outreach grants. As the contracted planning entity they provided planning, facilitation, research, grant writing, GIS analysis, design, marketing, and communication, as well as outreach and education at the local and state level to the TRWMA Board and partners. In addition, as a partnering organization, the RC&D provided grant writing assistance, coordinated and funded watershed wide water quality monitoring and analysis, partner and pubic outreach and education, and developed and maintained public communications and information distribution through the www. turkeyriver.org website. They funded and placed rain gauges and soil moisture probes throughout the TRW. They secured funding from several private and public grantors for complementary work in the watershed including a Rapid Land Cover Analysis of the TRW and a conservation outreach and marketing campaign. iv v Partner 7: Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service. Completed a rapid watershed assessment of the TRW, assisted with project design and implementation in Otter Creek (Iowa Flood Center Phase II Project), delivered educational presentations to the TRWMA Board and served on committees during the planning process. Partner 8: Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Iowa DNR staff assisted with collection of water samples from throughout the TRW and assisted with funding for analysis of those samples. The water monitoring and analysis provided baseline data for the project in terms of water quality and nutrient and soil transport. They also provided technical assistance and input throughout the planning process by serving on committees including the Technical Committee and the Fisheries Committee, by providing technical assistance to the planning staff and TRWMA members as needed, and providing information for use in GIS analysis. The Big Spring Report completed by the Iowa Geological Survey Bureau was used for background information regarding the TRW geology, karst features, and provided a better understanding of springsheds. IADNR also provided an additional planning grant to the TRWMA to add nutrient reduction strategies to this plan, which is scheduled to be completed by December 2015. Partner 9: McKnight Foundation. Provided funding for water quality monitoring in the TRW, GIS analysis, development of the TRW website and technical assistance to the TRW Alliance, more recent funding to engage landowners through tile outlet monitoring, and rain gauge/soil moisture/temperature probes to be installed throughout the TRW. Monitoring and gauging provided a baseline of water quality information and extensive tools for producers and residents of the TRW to participate in project research and promotion.. Partner 10: United State Geological Survey Bureau. USGS river gauges in the TRW helped the partners better understand the hydrology of the watershed and aided in modeling. Partner 11: County Farm Bureau Chapters in the TRW. Iowa Farm Bureau County Boards in the Turkey River Watershed provided input for the planning process, time for presentations and discussion at their meetings, and encouraged members to attend public planning meetings. Three counties, Winneshiek, Howard and Chickasaw,